The prior art is already aware of stacker apparatus which collects and stacks sheets into discrete stacks or bundles. These stacks of sheets are then commonly secured into bundles, such as by being tied or clamped, and the bundles are then transported from the stacker and to an intermediate holding area or they may go directly to a feeder where the sheets are individually taken from the stack. In this prior art arrangement and method, the problem is in connection with handling the bundles of sheets to conveniently and expeditiously dispose them in a collection of a plurality of the bundles disposed in rows or the like. When an operator handles the bundles, the bundles must be small and light weight. Also, the printing and stacking apparatus is usually run independent of the feeder apparatus where the sheets are finally taken from the stack and are disposed individually for collating and the like. Therefore, the printing and stacking apparatus must necessarily be operated at a pace which will exceed the rate at which the sheets are moved to and through the feeder apparatus, and the handling and transporting and storage of the bundles of sheets in their movement from the stacker to the feeder is the matter of concern.
The present invention provides a way in which the bundled sheets can be efficiently handled in a mass collection of the bundles, and the bundles are efficiently and neatly and readily disposed onto a pallet, with a minimum of apparatus and a minimum of attention from the operator and without requiring any lifting equipment or the like. Accordingly, in accomplishing the objectives of this invention, the bundles of sheets are arranged in a row on the receiver equipment associated with the sheet stacker, and the row of the bundles of sheets are then positioned onto a pallet holder which is previously supplied with a pallet in an upstanding position, and the pallet holder will receive a plurality of rows of bundles from the receiver, and the pallet holder can then be tilted to a position which will dispose the pallet horizontally and thereby support the bundles of sheets in the convenient prone position. Subsequently, a lift fork or the like can engage the pallet and move the plurality of bundles of sheets to the desired location.
As further background for this invention, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,739,924 and 3,825,134 and 3,853,234 and 3,880,308 all show apparatus and method for bundling, transporting, and feeding sheets, and these patents particularly show the way in which sheets can be formed into stacks and bundles and are then moved from an original inclined position and to a vertical or upstanding position on a support or cart or the like, and rollers are employed for mobilizing the bundles of sheets to permit the collection in rows of upstanding bundles of sheets. However, that prior art does not concern itself with the automatic palletizing of bundles of sheets such that the bundles are positioned on a pallet in a horizontal or prone orientation, as in this invention. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,075, for instance, shows the utilization of rollers and other movable supports on which sheets can be disposed in a stack and can be moved at right angles relative to the initial direction of sheet movement. Of course the citation of other patents on the aforesaid cited patents show prior art relative to the claimed subject matter in the aforesaid cited patents.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide apparatus for automatic palletizing of bundles of sheets as the bundles are formed directly on a sheet stacker, and such sheet stacker is of a conventional and well known type and may be constructed as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,933,314, for instance.
Further, the present invention provides a way, including apparatus and method, of automatically palletizing bundles of sheets such that the sheets come directly from a stacker and a bundling or tying mechanism and are disposed in rows on a receiver which in turn delivers the rows of bundles to a pallet holder having a pallet positioned thereon, and the holder is tiltable so that the pallet is disposed in a reclining position for transporting to a delivery or holding station, with the bundles thereon. Also, in accomplishing this objective, the present invention provides a way in which the stacks can be moved laterally on a receiver, such as by being driven through rotating rollers, and the receiver is tiltable such that when it is tilted to an upright position to remove the bundles therefrom, the drive to the rollers is automatically broken and thus discontinued, as desired.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings.